Although this article highlights the efforts of one company partnered with UNICEF it gives insight into the Global issues of hygiene. 

Addressing Critical Needs Around the World

With over 200,000 employees in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia, Unilever has perhaps the broadest geographic footprint of any multi-national consumer goods manufacturer. And the company is clearly aware of the massive responsibility that comes with its size and success.

Unilever sees four major forces reshaping our world and strives to address them in its policies and programs:

In a 21st century evolution of the "Think Global - Act Local" principle, Unilever draws on its vast resources to work with local communities, where - along with the availability of product - education of basic health and sustainability practices are sorely needed. 

A poignant fact is that the largest, fastest growing segment of the world's population is comprised of over 4 billion consumers who currently have less than $1500 each year to spend on consumer products. However, in many developing countries, local economies are maturing and, as they do, purchasing power shifts to these developing markets. So while Unilever believes providing assistance to this segment is clearly the right thing to do, there's little doubt that it also makes sound economic sense for the retail industry.

The Hygiene Crisis
A great deal of the world's health problems can be traced to lack of resources and facilities that most of us take for granted. According to the United Nations, "unsafe drinking water, inadequate availability of water for hygiene and lack of access to sanitation together contribute to about 88 per cent of deaths from diarrheal diseases, or more than 1.5 million of the 1.9 million diarrhea-related deaths among children under the age of five each year."

Because of its broad brand portfolio, Unilever, in partnership with other diverse organizations, is in an excellent position to make a real contribution to people's health and hygiene in developing markets. Unilever's Global Health through Hygiene program coordinates activities between its brands and partners such as the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In many cases, the program works to identify the specific hygiene problems and seeks an understanding of what will trigger behavioral change in individual cultures.

Success Story - Lifebuoy
In the Health through Hygiene program, particular brands lead specific hygiene activities. In the case of Lifebuoy - Unilever's 110-year old soap brand - the program runs hand washing campaigns in partnership with UNICEF.

Making soap affordable and widely available for hand washing is part of a solution that could halve the number of childhood deaths from diarrhea.  Although the hygiene methods are simple, measuring behavior to optimize results of the program can require resources and ingenuity. For instance, Unilever scientists, working with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine developed "SmartSoap" bars, which are soap bars fitted with movement sensors to track changes in usage.

Insights from these studies are being incorporated into educational efforts such as Lifebuoy Swasthya Chetna (means 'health awakening’'). This campaign has already assisted around 80 million people in 28,000 Indian villages. The goals of Swasthya Chena are ambitious. Working in partnership with local and national stakeholders, the five-year campaign aims to educate a total of 200 million people - 20 percent of the national population.

And acting responsibly is paying dividends, as well. In 2006, sales of the brand increased by almost 7 percent, with particularly strong growth in the eight states where the campaign was launched. Similar programs are now being adapted and rolled out in Bangladesh and East Africa.

from a report in Retail Ware